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UK travel: UAE residents forced to change plans as Heathrow caps passengers

Experts say that airlines have been asking their customers to review their itinerary

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by

Nasreen Abdulla

Published: Tue 19 Jul 2022, 4:03 PM

Last updated: Tue 19 Jul 2022, 10:31 PM

Several UAE residents travelling to the UK have been forced to change or alter their plans due to the summer rush, Heathrow cap on passengers and visa issues. Last week, London’s Heathrow Airport (LHR) put in place caps of 100,000 passengers a day causing widespread flight cancellations and disruptions.

Experts say that airlines have been asking their passengers to review their travel plans. “They are offering flexibility to change dates of their travel and providing vouchers,” said Rashida Zahid, VP Operations, Musafir.com.

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“We have a lot of passengers who are calling in to reconfirm their flights status or change their dates of travel based on the availability of tickets. There has been a slight shift in people booking their flight to other airports other than Heathrow depending on the reason for travel.”

Tara Sillery, who was scheduled to fly from Dublin to Paris via Heathrow last week, had her flight cancelled at the last minute. “I got an email a few days before my travel from British Airways warning me my flight may be cancelled and that I should either rebook or cancel to get a refund,” she said.

“I kept hoping for the best, however at the last minute I got an email saying my flight was no longer taking off. Right now, I have booked to fly from Dublin to Nice. I am hoping that will go ahead.”

After news of the Heathrow caps broke, British expat Rija Ghani flew into the UK from UAE through a different airport last weekend. “My husband and I opted to fly to the UK through Birmingham airport,” she said. “The immigration was quick, and we collected our bags within 15 minutes after that. So, I felt like we made a wise decision”

Earlier, several UAE residents had shared with Khaleej Times their heartbreak of missing out on important events including family gatherings and graduations among others due to not being able to get visas in time.

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Nasreen Abdulla

Published: Tue 19 Jul 2022, 4:03 PM

Last updated: Tue 19 Jul 2022, 10:31 PM

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